A reference has been sent to the Election Commission by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, seeking the disqualification of NA-4 Swat’s Member of National Assembly (MNA) Sohail Sultan, who represents the Sunni Ittehad Council.
According to sources, the reference was submitted by Nasrullah Khan, a resident of Swat, claiming that Sohail Sultan lied about his government employment in his nomination papers. The reference, after being received by the Speaker of the National Assembly, was forwarded to the Election Commission.
The complaint by Nasrullah Khan states that Sohail Sultan had misrepresented his employment status with the Election Commission. Before the elections, Sultan served as the Deputy Attorney General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the law, any government employee must wait for a two-year period after resigning from their post before contesting elections.
The petitioner requested that the Speaker of the National Assembly forward the reference to the Election Commission and take immediate action to disqualify the MNA. After receiving the reference, the Speaker has officially written to the Election Commission of Pakistan to proceed with the disqualification of Sohail Sultan.
Sources from the National Assembly Secretariat revealed that Sohail Sultan held the position of Assistant Advocate General in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and his misrepresentation was proven before the elections, leading to the submission of the reference to the Election Commission. It was confirmed during the investigation that Sultan had contested the election without completing the required two-year period after resigning from government service. It is important to note that Sohail Sultan was elected as an MNA from NA-4 Swat with the backing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry, reacting to the reference sent to the Election Commission, stated in a message on X (formerly Twitter) that the position of Deputy Attorney General is not a government job but rather a contract between a lawyer and the government. He criticized the Speaker’s actions, calling them frivolous, and stated that such actions are damaging the integrity of the Speaker’s office. He added that Ayaz Sadiq is a respectable individual and should avoid undermining Parliament’s dignity.
